With Chennai Super Kings needing five runs to win off the final delivery, Rajat Bhatia, who had bowled MS Dhoni and conceded only four from the previous five balls, bowled a full toss. Dwayne Bravo, who had missed a heave off the fifth ball, heaved again, and this time he hit the ball high into the night sky. Kolkata Knight Riders' captain Gautam Gambhir, fielding in the circle, kept his eyes fixed on the ball as it began its descent, and grimaced as he watched it fall agonisingly out of reach of his fielder at long-on, and just over the boundary. The Super Kings were out of the dug out, craning their necks to see where the ball landed, and once they saw it was a match-winning six, there were several streaks of yellow speeding to embrace Bravo. He was standing there with arms aloft, having taken Super Kings to No. 4 with only one league game remaining.

Had the match been tied, it would have been less of a surprise, for Super Kings' chase had followed a pattern eerily similar to Knight Riders' first innings.

In pursuit of 159, Michael Hussey and M Vijay added 97 runs in 10.1 overs before Sunil Narine, who continued to confound batsmen with his variations during his spell of 4-0-14-2, dismissed both of them in the space of three balls. Hussey had demonstrated impeccable timing on a pitch that demanded application, hitting four sixes in a half-century that threatened to make short work of the chase, before he top-edged a sweep. Vijay was bowled trying to cut a straight one.

When Knight Riders had been sent in after losing the toss, Gambhir and Brendon McCullum had set off at breakneck speed, adding 99 in 11.2 overs before they were dismissed in the space of five deliveries. Gambhir scored his sixth half-century of the season and took charge of accelerating his team's innings while McCullum played second fiddle, relatively speaking. They were setting Knight Riders for a formidable total when McCullum was run-out and Gambhir was bowled after the ball came off his inside-edge and pad, gone for 62 off 43 balls.

With the Knight Riders openers gone and two new batsmen at the crease, Super Kings began to drag the run-rate back, by striking regularly. The hosts slipped from 99 for 0 to 128 for 5. Jacques Kallis was unlucky to be given caught behind while sweeping, because the ball came off the arm, and Yusuf Pathan hit his customary solitary six before holing out to Bravo on the long-on boundary. Bravo caught Manoj Tiwary there soon after and Knight Riders were eventually kept to 158.

Super Kings went down the same path. After the Hussey-Vijay stand, they were slowed down and then lost Suresh Raina to a run out in the 14th over. MS Dhoni played out four consecutive dot balls against L Balaji as the gap between runs required and balls remaining began to grow. Balaji conceded two runs off the 14th over, and Bhatia five in the next. Super Kings now needed 44 off 30 balls.

After the 17th over of the first innings, Knight Riders had been 127 for 4. After the 17th over of the chase, Super Kings were 127 for 3. They lost Faf du Plessis to the first ball of the 18th. With 27 needed off the last two overs, Dhoni changed the course of the chase. He nearly beheaded Marchant de Lange, such was the ferocity with which he clubbed the first ball to the straight boundary. The next was a full toss that disappeared through deep midwicket and the third was a towering six over long-on.

Super Kings were favourites, needing only nine to get off the final over, but Dhoni was bowled off its second ball, missing Bhatia's slower ball. Bhatia went on to bowl three more exceptional deliveries, but his last was the full toss that allowed Super Kings to move to No. 4 in the league.

@Hamza Tariq .. agree with you.. I guess team combination you got it right... but lets in reality what happend today playing with Mumbai?

on May 16, 2012, 4:31 GMT

@ Yakub ali : there are just four overseas players in playing 11 so i thik they should drop lee or marchant de lange because both are not performing so shakib can com in.my playin 11is:1- Gambhir,2-Bb mcculum,3-Bisla,4-Kallis,5-monoj tiwary,6-youaf,7-shakib,8-Shukla,9-Bhatia 10-Narine 11-balaji

AusieBangaleeShameem
on May 15, 2012, 22:47 GMT

@Alex Hose: your comment is like F16 about Shakib and Tamim. I've enjoyed that much. Keep up posting. (You may be a KIWI as someone has pointed out --- your open and good mentality support that ---- have seen Kiwis like you while I was involved as a support staff within Manawatu Cricket Association in 1997-98.)
Ryan Tendo what are you doing mate? Feel sorry for you the way KKR treating you -- very unfortunate, given your ability.

Hayat22
on May 15, 2012, 20:18 GMT

@Alex hose, 'Shakib can also fire lazers from his eyes and he rides a dinosaur.' Never thought I would see a mention of dinosaurs on cricinfo. Absolute gem. You should contribute on Page 2 on cricinfo. That was real funny, no offence intended though! LOL

Bruisers
on May 15, 2012, 19:25 GMT

@ramab - NRR need not go up always when you win or come down with every match that you lose..

British-Bangali
on May 15, 2012, 18:46 GMT

I think we should all stop this Shakib defending the fact is Sunil Narine is a very interesting player and so far deserves he's place, let the team selector decide who plays. I think everyone in world cricket knows what record Shakib has and he himself will say it's a squad game the only thing he can
Do
Is
Practises hard
Prepare
And
Take
He's chance
When he gets it come
On KKR with or without Shakib. :-)

BanCricFan
on May 15, 2012, 18:31 GMT

@ Alex Hose: Are you from NZ? I know, when you became BAN fan... (BAN vs NZ => 4-0) in 2010... And I am sure you didn't forget the Man of The Series... :)

on May 15, 2012, 17:03 GMT

I agree with most of my friends, Shakib should have been part of playing 11.. more they should drop Kallis now if they have to win any more games... My team for next 2 matches are : Gautam, McCullum, Bisla, Das, Shukla, Majoj Tiwari, Pathan, Shakib, Lee, Sunil Narine, Marchant de Lange.. I am just hoping that somebody from KKR management will see this ...and I also wish they bat in same sequence as I have listed.

on May 15, 2012, 15:40 GMT

I think KKR selected the best XI. But there is only one mistake. De Lange playing but Abdullah and Shakib not play. The pitch was slow. I think its a wrong decision by Gambhir an coach. Abdullah and Shakib is the best performer. What u think all of you guys??

sweetspot
on May 15, 2012, 14:47 GMT

I thought I had done commenting on this subject, but I had to come back to thank Alex Hose for that stupendous contribution!

on May 16, 2012, 12:13 GMT

@Hamza Tariq .. agree with you.. I guess team combination you got it right... but lets in reality what happend today playing with Mumbai?

on May 16, 2012, 4:31 GMT

@ Yakub ali : there are just four overseas players in playing 11 so i thik they should drop lee or marchant de lange because both are not performing so shakib can com in.my playin 11is:1- Gambhir,2-Bb mcculum,3-Bisla,4-Kallis,5-monoj tiwary,6-youaf,7-shakib,8-Shukla,9-Bhatia 10-Narine 11-balaji

AusieBangaleeShameem
on May 15, 2012, 22:47 GMT

@Alex Hose: your comment is like F16 about Shakib and Tamim. I've enjoyed that much. Keep up posting. (You may be a KIWI as someone has pointed out --- your open and good mentality support that ---- have seen Kiwis like you while I was involved as a support staff within Manawatu Cricket Association in 1997-98.)
Ryan Tendo what are you doing mate? Feel sorry for you the way KKR treating you -- very unfortunate, given your ability.

Hayat22
on May 15, 2012, 20:18 GMT

@Alex hose, 'Shakib can also fire lazers from his eyes and he rides a dinosaur.' Never thought I would see a mention of dinosaurs on cricinfo. Absolute gem. You should contribute on Page 2 on cricinfo. That was real funny, no offence intended though! LOL

Bruisers
on May 15, 2012, 19:25 GMT

@ramab - NRR need not go up always when you win or come down with every match that you lose..

British-Bangali
on May 15, 2012, 18:46 GMT

I think we should all stop this Shakib defending the fact is Sunil Narine is a very interesting player and so far deserves he's place, let the team selector decide who plays. I think everyone in world cricket knows what record Shakib has and he himself will say it's a squad game the only thing he can
Do
Is
Practises hard
Prepare
And
Take
He's chance
When he gets it come
On KKR with or without Shakib. :-)

BanCricFan
on May 15, 2012, 18:31 GMT

@ Alex Hose: Are you from NZ? I know, when you became BAN fan... (BAN vs NZ => 4-0) in 2010... And I am sure you didn't forget the Man of The Series... :)

on May 15, 2012, 17:03 GMT

I agree with most of my friends, Shakib should have been part of playing 11.. more they should drop Kallis now if they have to win any more games... My team for next 2 matches are : Gautam, McCullum, Bisla, Das, Shukla, Majoj Tiwari, Pathan, Shakib, Lee, Sunil Narine, Marchant de Lange.. I am just hoping that somebody from KKR management will see this ...and I also wish they bat in same sequence as I have listed.

on May 15, 2012, 15:40 GMT

I think KKR selected the best XI. But there is only one mistake. De Lange playing but Abdullah and Shakib not play. The pitch was slow. I think its a wrong decision by Gambhir an coach. Abdullah and Shakib is the best performer. What u think all of you guys??

sweetspot
on May 15, 2012, 14:47 GMT

I thought I had done commenting on this subject, but I had to come back to thank Alex Hose for that stupendous contribution!

rasiramesh
on May 15, 2012, 14:32 GMT

KXIP is in a full form after the win Against Deccan, CSK will not be able to tackle them and sure CSK will not go for playoffs! Good Bye CSK, Better luck next time.

Mayan820
on May 15, 2012, 14:19 GMT

What did you say Rocking-IPL??? "KKR does not need an all rounder" Which matches of KKR's did you watch?? On paper the side is hopelessly top heavy with Gambhir, McCullum and Kallis at 1-3. Of these three McCullum is absolutely hopeless in reality, scoring at a disastrous SR of approx. 110. Kallis's SR is not much better, but he can at least bowl. Everyone, except you, apparently, knows that when these 3 are gone, Kolkata is dead in the water as far as batting is concerned. Shaqib can pick it up from a completely dead position at no. 4, re-assess immediately what needs to be done and actually do it. I have seen him do it before on more than 1 occasion. He is simply a fantastic player. He is, moreover, more than a decent T20 bowler, often ending up with figures better than the supposed strike bowlers. Only insane team management would let a player like this sit on the bench game after game after game!

vioo
on May 15, 2012, 14:18 GMT

well done CSK...Wat a team performance...way to go...gud luck for d next game....

Nizam.U.Ahmmed
on May 15, 2012, 13:57 GMT

about Shakib- he got 18 wickets in 11 matches with an average of 14.77 which is marginally second to Sp Narine, Shakib's Strike rate is 13.50 which is better than any other bowler of KKR, he got 18 wicket in 11 matches which means every mach he got 1.64 wickets and that is better than any other bowler of KKR. thats all.

mesbahronnie
on May 15, 2012, 13:38 GMT

KKR Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....

on May 15, 2012, 13:06 GMT

There's a limit to supersitition. If Shakib's inclusion is what broke the KKR winning streak, why then didn't they win the last match against CSK when he was NOT playing? If KKR cannot value a player like Shakib, or even find a place for him in the playing XI, then by all means please trade him to another team. Tamim came to the IPL on the back of 4 half-centuries in the Asia Cup, and he still can't get a game ahead of Jesse Ryder. We want to see our guys carry the Bangladesh flag in the IPL. Come on Gautam, Dada, give our boys a chance to win the hearts and minds of the people of India.

on May 15, 2012, 13:05 GMT

A person like Gilchrist is not able to make it into the Punjab team. so what makes you guys think sakib deserves a chance. sakib cannot even hold a candle to Gilchrist even when gilchrist is in the twilight of his career.

ramab
on May 15, 2012, 11:41 GMT

Chennai's NRR as shown on TV was 0.22 before the KKR match, but is 0.214 after KKR match per cricinfo. How could NRR come down after a win?

on May 15, 2012, 11:31 GMT

I am amazed to see no comments regarding consistent non-performer Yusuf Pathan while criticizing well-performers like McCullum Balaji n folks. These guys have played their prt well...Pathan is complete misfit now..better he and Lange make way for Abdullla and Shakib....Kalllis and Balaji can open the bowling followed by Abdulla Narine and Shakib...deadly attack....

on May 15, 2012, 11:30 GMT

Haha out of 187 comments, 180 comments are about Sakib!! even though Sakib did not play this time

on May 15, 2012, 11:24 GMT

how can the team management be so idiot and blind to see that they have a fragile middle order not the top order...all they do, strengthen the top order
ha ha ha ha
Gambhir thought he could win them all on his own hahahaha funny...
11 overs 99/2 and 159/6 at 20
ha ha ha

on May 15, 2012, 11:22 GMT

KKR has themselves to blame... for numerous matches they have been selecting bad team...a mediocre team...McCullum in place of Shakib on a slow pitch when Bisla was playing so good...only Gambhir can justify this idiotic and hell stupid selection...they paid the price yesterday when he had Balaji and company to bowl full quota because of scarce of options

satish619chandar
on May 15, 2012, 11:18 GMT

@meeyan : And, usually spinners don't bowl in last 4 unless your name is Narine.. A fast bowler gives 20 in his last over and spoils his figures usually.. There lies a minor difference in the figures you present for spin/fast bowler comparison..

cskrocks12
on May 15, 2012, 11:16 GMT

Every1 knows hussey n vijay won the match with their batting. Over 12-20 was a pathetic drama. Kkr fans stop smoking about shakib. KKr lost to CSK is wat the news now. CSK seems to be on roll , rolling out top two teams in the table. Wish they win 4 more consecutive matches probably vs KXIP, KKR, MI n DD n win the trophy for 3rd time

satish619chandar
on May 15, 2012, 11:16 GMT

@meeyan : So, you can just say how many wickets a bowler will take or how many runs he will give on a particular day? You just select the team with composition which you think will work against the opponents and the rest all happens on the field.. Why you need anchor is, to allow the other hitters to play their natural game.. If you lose 3 in 4 overs, it will become a uphill task mate.. DD had it last game against CSK.. You lose 4 for 30 in 5 overs and struggle all the game to make 120.. Whereas, if you have anchors slotted between hitters, every over will produce atleast 8 runs without much risk and loss of wicket..

on May 15, 2012, 11:14 GMT

Same mistake repeated by Kolkata again. The top order, namely Gambhir played brilliantly, but the team was let down by the middle order. McCullum was pretty decent, but still quite slow, considering his reputation...he's supposed to have had enough time to get prepared to conditions. Kallis failing put pressure on the likes of Tiwary. And after ANOTHER failure by Pathan, who was left?

The bowling was what KKR always does. Spinner does well, only for the pacemen to remove all the pressure built. Balaji may click, and bowling him in itself is a gamble. Kallis is reputable but let's face it, his bowling is nothing like what it was 5 years ago. De Lange has pace, but not the experience or discipline of Lee. And Bhatia can't exactly work miracles.

What I see here is a bowling problem, and a middle-order one. Pathan should immediately be left out to show him he is "expendable", and middle order needs to beef up. Either McCulum drops, or no foreign pacer to play Shakib/Tendo/Morgan. From BD

jhumon_sydney
on May 15, 2012, 11:10 GMT

Definitely gambir is a talented player but as captain he is no doubt bizare compare to Dhoni .Dhoni knows after 10 overs the ball will get old and difficult to play particularly spinner as the whole world knows that how much the ball spins in kolkata pitch.Thats why Dhoni picked 4 spinners and 2 pacer but Gambir did exactly opposite..only recogonized spinner Narine.Even gambir used the part time spinner Pathan in half way who did prety better than de lange .lee and kalis.Picking up Lange is miserable who had been belted badly in his debut in kolkata pitch and he DID again in here.Gambir is a hot tempered, grumpy captain .You must learn from your captain Dhoni how to deal the match.JUST folllow Dhoni !

AMAZINGFAN
on May 15, 2012, 11:09 GMT

this match showed how the kkr middle order is struggling and lack of good death bowler apart from narain.beware kkr u might be knocked out of the tournament if u r not winning matches as for as csk is concerned there is still problem in their batting but their openers are in good form and once raina starts firing ,then csk batting will be deadly for others.good luck for both teams

on May 15, 2012, 11:09 GMT

i am Bangladesh fan and i must tell everyone Shakib should playing every match. He number 1 cricket player in the world. Shakib should open batting and bowling and be wicket keeper. Shakib inspires fear in all opponents he faces. He is superior to Muralitharan and Warne and will make better record in batting then bradman when he is finished. Shakib can also fire lazers from his eyes and he rides a dinosaur. Also Tamim is worlds best batsman, Pune should let him play. He will hit everyball for six and will humiliate the bowlers. Tamim is so good he is half robot and can cure global warming.

@satish619chandar : what's the point of playing an overseas fast bowler who gives 30/35 runs rather than a spinner who gives 20/25 runs??? plz explain. At the end of the day,run is the matter,not whose against the run is scored.& again,what's the point of plying Buz if he only nudges the ball?? Kalis can do this anchor role easily.Certainly u dont need 2 anchor batsman(Buz,Kallis) in top 3 in a T20 match.

eZoha
on May 15, 2012, 10:24 GMT

KKR needed another spinner in the playing eleven in this match. Either Abdullah or Shakib could do. But I guess Gambhir being a left-handed batsmen doesn't rate slow left arm orthodox bowlers highly. Brendon McCullum has been a real disappointment for me as a KKR fan. For a such sought-after player he has hardly had an impact in any match after that blistering 150 odd in the very first IPL clash 4 years ago. Probably slow low Indian pitches don't suit his style of batting often. Bisla can easily replace him and KKR can think of playing Ryan, Shakib or Morgan.

SHAKILTAZ
on May 15, 2012, 10:19 GMT

Hi Bangladesh_Fannnnn, yuvraj was not the number 1 allrounder for 2 yers.This is a unwanted problem fro KKR they many good quality payers.Therefore many of them aren't getting chance.That's why Shakib is out of team.Team management know he is good but they couldn't do anything.Athough Balaji was very good in whole matches except last match,still he is in side bench.Everyone should agree Narain and Shakib both are good in whole tournament with maintaining very good economy rate and they are very useful in this sub-continent.If both play together then this team will be stronger more because they are doing very good over whole tournament and I think Balaji or any local fast bower could be in team because KKR have a very big bowling line up.Mc Callum,Kallis,Narain and Shakib these four should be in the team because currently they are the best performer of the team.Stop fighting and try to understand the reality

ILI_ANALYST
on May 15, 2012, 10:11 GMT

@Ankush Jangid ...CSK is not Single Man Team..We never depend upon One man..Not one man Bowled..not one man fielded..not one man batted,But of course one man captianed...lol

Thyagu5432
on May 15, 2012, 10:03 GMT

KKR started this edition of IPL shakily and Shakib was in the scheme of things at that time. Then KKR was on a roll winning several matches consecutively and Shakib was not part of that high. Then things started going wrong once again for KKR when they lost to MI and Shakib was in the team. There is this general belief that you dont change winning combination. I do not know what got into KKR's mind (whoever they are), they changed it first against MI and then again against CSK. They need to back to their winning combintion. However, you see it, Shakib will be stuck in the dug out.

ILI_ANALYST
on May 15, 2012, 10:03 GMT

(SEE YES OKAY...CSK)..CHENNAI TEAM IS HOTTER THEN CHENNAI ..WOW DHONI COOL AS ICE , HARD AS ROCK, CLEVER AS FOX,NO MERCY AS A LION....

paritoshroy
on May 15, 2012, 9:42 GMT

Bangladeshi cricket fans, let's not kid ourselves. Jacques Kallis and Shane Watson are the best all rounders in the world. So stop attacking this site with rants about Shakib and Tamim. As somebody pointed out, KKR doesn't need Shakib. It's the other way round.

THEGREATFANOFMASTER
on May 15, 2012, 9:29 GMT

Gambhir missed a trick in the game he played Marchant de Lange, in front of the highly pace friendly batsman like hussey, du plessis, they would have helped other players how to play and what to expect,de lange in the second last over went for many in place off him bratt lee or shakib would have been much better.

mysay
on May 15, 2012, 9:28 GMT

I'm not a Bangladeshi, but in all fairness Sakib should have been picked. He can put in around 20 runs faster than a run a ball, and even if he does worse, he still is a damn good bowler. When you play a team with superstars such as MEK, Du Plessis, Dhoni & Bravo what ever is put on the board even 200+ is still achievable, so you need them bowlers. Sakib should have played leaving out Balaji who is just rubbish.

bcric12
on May 15, 2012, 9:21 GMT

@Rocking-IPL: come to the point. your prediction was wrong. this is the truth.give up lame excuses .

csk 3 cheers - 2010, 2011 and now 2012. common csk you can do it .. if not you who else can .. mind game win matches dhoni .. enjoy your outing .. all the best to entire csk crew .. you really rock .. yellow jersey is mind blowing ..wowowow

timtom
on May 15, 2012, 8:58 GMT

Rather than blaming on not selecting Shakib make a logical reasoning... out of 4 ..3 are automatic selections
1. Kallis - fast Bowler, Batsman, fielder and whatever u can ask for [Cannot replace Kallis for Shaib in any pitch/condition]
2. Narine - No comments here
3. Lee/Lange - One fast bowler for opening the bowling.. [can be debated to drop him and select an Indian fast bowler which leaves
with Sangwan/Balaji/Shukla.. if this is to happen be assured of opposite team scoring 200+]

4. Shakib/Macullum - Taking shakib means extra wkt-keepr batsman - Bisla and dropping one of the batsman. Well Macullum is also a steady opener.And Shakib ha`nt really shone with the bat in opportunities he got..THat really puts pressure on high stakes games.

Well Shakib is a nice guy and best team is selected on conditions. That does`nt make him bad player...really ppor comments from Shakib fans.. No one has any thing to say when an even better player Ryan [RTD] who has`nt got much chances

Cric_Info1987
on May 15, 2012, 8:46 GMT

what I have also come to realize is that shakib is the no. 1 all-rounder in the ICC rankings but it's an all-rounder, which means:::: (a)he can bat better than any other bowler and (b) he can bowl better than any other batsman. But it does not mean that Shakib just by merely being all-rounder can be justified as being a specialist batsman or a specialist bowler or for that instance better than any other bowler. For instance, Yuvraj was once the world no. 1 all-rounder for period of 2 years. He won the man of the series in the World-Cup (shakib is not even close to that). But still None of the Indians have still claimed that Yuvraj is better than Sachin, Sehwag, Jadega, Raina, Dinesh Karthik, etc. and they never said that Yuvraj could bowl better than Irfran Patan, Munaf Patel, Rp Sing, Ojha, Sreesanth, etc. I think many of the BD fans are new to cricket, they are not aware of what has transpired in the last few decade, they saw cricket only after shakib.

IJ-IPL
on May 15, 2012, 8:44 GMT

no person watching international cricket in the right mind would say that shakib is required in the present KKR team. He is only a replacement. He is an amazing all-rounder. But KKR does not need an all-rounder. Kallis ranks higher than shakib in the ICC ranking for batsmen. Narine is a much better bowler than shakib. If shakib could bowl as good as narine, then probably he would get a chance. but thats not the case. So I am hoping that narine is replaced with shakib is today's match so that MI could win this match with a big margin. ha...ha...go MI goooo MI win the match.

IJ-IPL
on May 15, 2012, 8:42 GMT

I agree with my friends, gambhir does not have the ability of captaincy. He should never have changed the team, when he was winning matches brilliantly. One speed-breaker and you have lost the hang of the tournament. That stupid change in over-confidence to take risks costed KKR the entire series. Gambhir should not become a captain again if he intends to include Shakib. His only hope now to win the matches again is to take RTD for batting alongwith him. He does not need a bowler, the bowling has been fair enough. If they had scored well on a batting track like this, they wouldn't have had any problem. Gambhir's only option is RTD.

satish619chandar
on May 15, 2012, 8:38 GMT

@Posted by on (May 15 2012, 07:55 AM GMT): Is it? CSK a one man team? Hussey and Vijay provided start, Dhoni made things tough and restored it and Bravo finished.. Jakati for the first time was pick of bowlers, Ash and Hilfy maintained pressure, Bravo again bowled decently and RJ as usual gave some.. Only Raina and Faf were not mentioned above but everyone knows their value in the field.. If at all one team doesn't warrant the tag - ONE MAN TEAM, that should be CSK..

on May 15, 2012, 8:37 GMT

@kkr poor captncy n mnagmnt.... poor team selection.

IJ-IPL
on May 15, 2012, 8:37 GMT

@bcric12: I don't need to be jealous of shakib. He does not have anything which I want and he does not have things which I already have in my career...nor money nor position nor status. So let's not get into whether I am jealous of him or not. further, the reason I took so long to comment was because I was busy enjoying the stunning match of MI and RCB which has blown my imagination. Excellent performance from both teams. with respect to this match, I can't comment anything more than the fact that: "shakib has already broken the winning streak and combination of KKR, now it's going to be very difficult for KKR to achieve the same." This is the consequence of breaking the winning combination and include a useless player in the team for the sake of sympathy.

on May 15, 2012, 8:34 GMT

KKR team management undermining Shakibs and Ryan ten doeschate's ability. Actually, I think they don't want any improvement of mino team's player. Hope Bangladesh Cricket Team and Shakib will prove it again in the T20 World Cup. Really praying BD Team will defeat India again.

satish619chandar
on May 15, 2012, 8:33 GMT

@meeyan : Yes he bowled well in the chances he got.. But the fact is, KKR do need pace bowlers as Indian/Asian batsmen in general play spin well and not sheer pace that confidently.. So, Lee/De Lange becomes a certain.. Kallis is a guy who can bowl in late 130s and hold innings.. Baz as keeper deserves and none can replace Narine.. If at all KKR missed a guy, it should be Iqbal Abdulla.. He should have played in the place of either Balaji or Shukla.. Baz is not shashing but Gambhir is.. Baz just helped him to maintain the partnershop and crucial stands.. And, no need to justify the place of Kallis.. As a second fiddle and a good bowler, he will add value more than Shakib.. In all cases, i will never say Shakib is a poor cricketer but in IPL or a team with 10 overseas options, Shakib need not be a certain starter.. CSK, inspite of the fact that Kulasekara did wonderful job as bowler replaced him with Hussey to maintain their composition.. Dougie was replaced by Hilfy.. It happens mate..

SportsObserver
on May 15, 2012, 8:27 GMT

Gambhir has faith in some players, hopes they will be back in form anyday now and win him a match. He will keep giving them chances till judgement day. Here is a noble idea- Pick players in form, do NOT go by names. Also, keep your personal feelings aside when selecting the playing 11. Gambhir talks about cricket being a team sport and not about individuals, don't just say it - show it!.

vinu31
on May 15, 2012, 8:25 GMT

CSK batsmen should have left Narine alone, and concentrated on the others, just like Pollard and Rayudu did with Murali last night. CSK living life very dangerously !!! IPL 5 heading for one tangled finale....

gandhala
on May 15, 2012, 8:25 GMT

for all shakib lover , please understand its difficult to play him in this squad.Very difficult to drop kallis as kallis is been wisely used.More than his batting he is used as an attacking fast bowler when needed. If u want drop the fast bowler who will open the bowling attack, dont tell me naraine he has a different role to pla.,Mc culum ???then who will be opening the batting ?? he has given some solid starts w/o losing a wicket.earlier you were targetting naraine's place for Shakibs , didnt he prove his worth.KK looks very strong with shakib.I agree Shakib is a legend in the making. Am sure he can walk in directly and play in all games of if he was in RR,DC,Punjab,Pune, but difficult in rcb,kkr,dd,csk,mi.At least csk would have tried him.

xxximran
on May 15, 2012, 8:15 GMT

Probably Shakib is The Best competitor of Gamvir

on May 15, 2012, 7:55 GMT

CSK are living on their luck right now... As a rr fan, i don't want csk to win, these lucky things never happen to rr, or kings xi.. Hoping if rr doesn't qualify ,then kings xi should qualify, i do not like these one man teams winning due to contibutions of a single player.

bravocric
on May 15, 2012, 7:36 GMT

really gambhir dont have the knack of captaincy, hence proved in yesterday's debacle.

on May 15, 2012, 7:34 GMT

Gambhir & KKR Team management deserve this ..Defeat.......for their poor.....team....selection....................

TsoroM
on May 15, 2012, 7:20 GMT

@mngc, I share your sentiments. Narine has been truly outstanding this IPL. Pick of the bowlers! And the mystery of bowling has really been entertaining. I hope he does not lose his mystery like Ajantha Mendis did after a while...

bcric12
on May 15, 2012, 7:19 GMT

@Rocking-IPL: you are jealous of shakib.
result proved you wrong. that is why there is no comment of you after the match

on May 15, 2012, 7:13 GMT

bravo showed great hand eye cordination and hit a beautiful six

on May 15, 2012, 7:09 GMT

WARNING : NO HEART PATIENTS ALLOWED TO BE A FAN OF CSK....

meeyan
on May 15, 2012, 7:01 GMT

@satish619chandar: shakib scored 237 runs in 4 matches with average 59.25 & strike rate 110.23 in asia cup.yeah,it was a 50-over format,but when someones scores 237 runs (strike rate 110) in this format just before IPL,obviously he is a strong contender for starting 11 in T20 format. How would u justify McCullum's inclusion in the team?? For ur kind information, McCullum & Kallis are not smashing at all,they r just strolling in IPL(strike rate 108 & 105 respectively). & we r talking about shakib's batting. His bowling performance in this IPL (7 wkts in 4 match,economy 6.06,bowling average 13.00) suggests, he should be automatic choice even only for his bowling,forget about batting.

usaf_1975
on May 15, 2012, 6:37 GMT

narine became a mistry spin in this IPL 2012, let see how long he maintain this mistry OR become a bowler like mendis or ashwin. recently i saw only one bowler how maintain his varity and continue troubbling batsmen he is SAEED AJMAL.

Yolk_Eater
on May 15, 2012, 6:34 GMT

Why is everyone droning on about Shakib?? I am surprised to see that there is no mention about Ryan ten doeschate not being in the team. Cmon , give the guy a chance, he has done so well whenever given a chance, no matter if he had to face 10 balls, he balsted 22 of those, they undermine him badly, do they even know the guy can bowl. He bolwed one over last IPL, gave away 7 runs, and was never used again. I don't know what's happening. I will say, play both Shakib and RTD.

Thyagu5432
on May 15, 2012, 6:25 GMT

I dont know what to make of this match even though I am a CSK fan. CSK seems to be making a heavy weather of light targets time & again. I only hope this "luck" continues for a few more matches (for the one that they need to play to win and few others were somebody's loss will be CSK's gain). CSK or no CSK, these close finishes are really exciting. I enjoyed this one thoroughly as well as the one before this were Mumbai made that dramatic come back. I hope the rest of the matches also go to the wire and if CSK plays any of those matches, it gets a little more exciting (since it comes with emotions attached). Go IPL! Go CSK! Go all the teams!

on May 15, 2012, 6:18 GMT

hoping someone stops csk from winning the title 3rd year running. ipl seriously needs a new champ

csowmi7
on May 15, 2012, 6:05 GMT

It will be interesting to see how Narine progresses as a mystery spinner. Mendis started out in the same fashion but now he isn't even in the Sri Lankan side. Ashwin also had a similar impact but now seems to have lost his ability to take wickets though he is still quite economical. Once batsman start picking his deliveries with the cameras Narine will need to develop subtle variations. The one advantage he has is that he can get prodigious spin and bounce with his high arm action whereas Mendis and Ashwin relied on slight variations. Narine should take the example of Ajmal who despite being around for over 3-4 years is still unpickable.

csowmi7
on May 15, 2012, 5:59 GMT

Sad to see Shakib missing out once again. He adds great depth to the bowling and batting and is a whole hearted cricketer. KKR lack depth in both batting and bowling. If you take Gambhir out of the equation their batting is miserable. Mccullum is doing alright but isn't as explosive as he used to be. Kallis is batting too slow for t20 standards. Pathan, Tiwari and Shukla are walking wickets. Das has played a few cameos but has not been tested against quality bowling and is inexperienced. Without Narine their bowling looks ordinary too. De lange/ Lee are too expensive on slow wickets like the Eden Gardens. Bhatia is an average bowler and relies heavily on his slower balls. Kallis is a good bowler but he will never win matches with his bowling.

satish619chandar
on May 15, 2012, 5:47 GMT

@meeyan : "If u watched how shakib batted in asia cup,u would not doubt his ability in T20 format." Is it? If you bat well in one tournament and that too in a 50 over format, you can smash in all other formats?

avik_chowdhury1980
on May 15, 2012, 5:18 GMT

Failed to understand why KKR management do not use Shakib. He is a terrific allrounder. And also Brett Lee in stead of De Lange...And leave Y Pathan...Try any other batsman...

crazycricketlover
on May 15, 2012, 5:07 GMT

I feel the four metro's will be in the play off dis year the way kkr is playing i think they will finish fourth in the table because they have a game against mi and it is very difficult to handle mi as of now a win will confirm the berth in playoff for csk

on May 15, 2012, 5:05 GMT

Finally a 6 and CSK got 2 points. As a CSK fans we are very happy that the team has a bright chance to hold a strong place in play off. But.... why they are keeping the fans in tension? In this match CSK had the upper hand and until last ball why they dragged? If the last ball, not gone for a 6, will be a big disaster to CSK, isn't?. In coming games they have plan according to situation and make themselves and their fans in a comfort zone. CSK has the potential to finish this IPL5 as a hat-rick.

KK_Cricket
on May 15, 2012, 4:58 GMT

It will all be anti climax as CSK will lose the last game against KXIP... The pitch there wont suit the "STRENGTH" of CSK, that is their spinners.. Hope D Hussey plays Miller in that game and bats out CSK.. And MI/KKR match is a day before that, if KKR win, they would be through.. KKR should go all out and play the MI match as their final league game and forget about PWI... Some how feel Mumbai pitch would be suitable to KKR...

KK_Cricket
on May 15, 2012, 4:47 GMT

One tactical blunder which Gambhir made was to go for De Lange instead of Balaji.. Balaji has slower balls and can trick the batsmen making it difficult but with De Lange has pace and Dhoni made complete use of it.. And Bhatia, instead of going for an yorker, would have been better to bowl it wide outside off.. Bravo likes it on his pads and he got the ball out of the park..

mngc1
on May 15, 2012, 4:43 GMT

Highlight of game was Vijay's expression when he was bowled by Narine. Same thing happened a few games ago when Shaun Marsh was bowled. This is the 4th time this series that Narine went for less than 20 in his four overs. For a death bowler that is truly fantastic. Also highest scored off him was 28. Bowler of the tournament so far for me.

Jakir_Hossain
on May 15, 2012, 4:39 GMT

So many people comment here. One things is true all love KKR. they are well wisher for KKR. Everyone suggest KKR to kept Sakib in 11. so KKR team managemet sould user Sakib.

kartickrajj
on May 15, 2012, 4:21 GMT

DONI'S comment was right about playing in the middle overs. Last couple of matches they start well. And already known they are very dangerous in the final overs. But in the middle overs???????? if they didn't play well in the midlle overs , definetly they will lose . Atleast 6 runs per over will be better in between 8 to 14 overs . If they loose one or two wickets after the end of power play then they play as TEST MATCH..........NARINE WAS ROCKING. KKR didn't use IQPAL ABDULLA correctly .

on May 15, 2012, 4:17 GMT

CSK is a class apart :) Fantastic all-round performance!

on May 15, 2012, 4:16 GMT

KKR has too many fast bowlers.. It is difficult to hit spinners at Eden Garden and how crucial it would have been if both Sunil Naraine and Sakib led the spin attack...Surely de lange should be replaced by Sakib. Presence Sakib will make the bowling attack strong along with Sunil Naraine and also will strengthen the batting line up.....Bring back SAKIB drop De lange...

on May 15, 2012, 3:54 GMT

I do not know whether it is just me, but it seems that many of those who comment have absolutely no idea about what they are talking about. Shakib is currently ranked as the 8th best ODI bowler in the world. He has consistently been in the top ten bowlers list consistenly over the past 3-4 years.....As Abhishek Purohit once said "Had Shakib Al Hasan been playing for some of the bigger Test sides, he would have been given a lot more respect than he gets at present" (http://www.espncricinfo.com/asia-cup-2012/content/story/558198.html ).......It really hurts me to see people question someone whose ability has been proven beyond doubt. My earnest request to you all - do not just say what comes to your mind about someone who most of the other cricketers can only aspire to be...........kindly have some respect for someone as great as Shakib.....

Madhavan.Varun
on May 15, 2012, 3:25 GMT

As a CSK fan, I was mightily relieved to see Lee sitting this one out...

And yes, when I saw that KKR were off with only one spinner, I knew they were going to regret it in the second half of CSK's innings..

Thank you KKR for the gift! ~.~

on May 15, 2012, 3:24 GMT

I know a lot you are probably already fed up with Shakib fans. I just wanted to answer rahulcricket007. Check this out on Youtube of Shakib Al Hasan vs Australia in ICC world Twenty20 2010 with performance of 4-0-24-2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAk8YPEfw3I

meeyan
on May 15, 2012, 3:20 GMT

shakib's economy & bowling average (6.06 & 13.00) is much much better than lee(7.55 & 36.71) & de lange (10.70 & 35.66) in this season.Then why pick lee or de lange ahead of shakib,especially in the slow pitch of Eden Garden??? McCullum's strike rate(108)in this season is not so impressive & kallis is also below par(strike rate 105,economy rate 7.45). Only stand out performer is narine.TRUE KKR FANS,just imagine the combination of narine-shakib duo !! narine & shakib both should be automatic choice.
& for Those who dont know,ranking is created based on current form,not previous reputation.& for those who doubt about shakib's international success,just recall his performance in recent asia cup(especially,Indian fans should remember how shakib thrashed all the indian bowlers.) If u watched how shakib batted in asia cup,u would not doubt his ability in T20 format.

electrified_don
on May 15, 2012, 3:17 GMT

I think kolkata should use the advantage of devastating double attack of Shakib & Narine. i think if they operate this two bowlers at the same time in their squad they will be almost able to defend any sorts of tota. They may overcome this leauge matches but without a devastating attacking bowling unit they won't be able to be the champ. because against Mumbai, Chennai or Delhi you can't win matches by only batting however strong your batting order is.

on May 15, 2012, 3:17 GMT

To all Shakib fans who say he is the best all rounder, lets see the team analysis. Only sakib plays average in bangla team. others players are just space fillers. so eventually he bats n get wickets, because of nil competition. Eventually he looks like a all rounder. put him on top team, he will be degraded to nothing.

rsurya
on May 15, 2012, 3:12 GMT

RCB or DELHI should win this IPL, Delhi deserves more with good batting and bowling where as RCB lacks in the later. No other team deserves it, mainly CSK and MI dont deserve the cup. Mumbai may finish top of the table.

satish619chandar
on May 15, 2012, 3:06 GMT

Shakib may be a better choice than Baz but never a better option than Narine.. Any mystery spinner will have a threatening life for only a couple of years.. And, it is best for KKR to use Narine as long as his mystery spin remains a mystery.. Shakib does deserve place but not sure at whose expense.. KKR never had a good new ball bowler and they MUST pick a overseas fast bowler.. Reg CSK, Dhoni should stop his close last over syndrome.. He is lucky enough to get a couple of waist high full toss in last few games and now, a juicy full toss when 6 off the last ball is the only possible thing that can win it.. Yes he did score some big runs when 27 need off 12 but it was his batting which made the required rate jump in leaps and bounds.. Singles off the dots he played would ahve made things a bit more comfortable.. MSD slowly losing his magical finisher role..

on May 15, 2012, 3:00 GMT

gabhir and Mccullam doing well, once again they made a partnership 99 in 11 overs, then what happened??????? their middle order is so week, they should bring shakib back in place of one of their foreign fast bowler.But Mcculam should be playing every sigle match,he is the only fast run scorer they got other than Gambeer

darklink
on May 15, 2012, 2:57 GMT

shakib is the best overall cricketer in the world.... indian fans dont deny the facts........

ruhan_071
on May 15, 2012, 2:50 GMT

@Shakib_Is_Ordinary: Just like the same old you against sakib

Anwaruzz
on May 15, 2012, 2:32 GMT

Narain, Sakib, Abdullah and to some extent YP are more economical then the Quickies who are going at over 8-9 runs per Over. Why KKR does not read the facts ??Sakib has the ability to get some quick runs in the middle order, where KKR is failing regularly. The middle batting order is not firing at all when it is required of them to push the score to 180+

jhovee
on May 15, 2012, 2:12 GMT

yesterday's both matches were exicting & CSK beat KKR the same way how MI beat them in the last over. CSK are habituated to win in the last over & they never fail to give heart attacks! The only comfortable win was with the DD and DC. Come on CSK, dont drag till last ball!

caught_knott_bowled_old
on May 15, 2012, 2:01 GMT

Hope Albie recovers in time for the dharamsala match. If he gets to bat, am sure he'll strike a few 130m sixes in the high altitude!
Expect a high scoring match.

To all Shak fans. You guys don't need to shout every single time he doesn't play. We already know he is a legend and he has only played like 160 matches. Its better he gets rest and gets ready for Essex in county which is real cricket.

raad007
on May 15, 2012, 1:43 GMT

Now one knows Narnine skill level yet. This is t20 not cricket. Its pure entertainment. His skill level will be tested when he plays test cricket.

rahman1001
on May 15, 2012, 1:38 GMT

Like last year, Jacques Kallis, a class of his own in Test and ONE Day, will flop again at the end of KKR's dream title race. In fact, KKR never looks like a complete team, there is no depth in batting, even including Shakib in the team. However, KKR underestimated Shakib this year, like they did in last year, as he is from Bangladesh known for "False Promises" in cricket. But they forgot Shakib has proved already beyond the imagination of everyone in Bangladesh and in world cricket in both One day and Test. This is unfortunate, Shakib was never kept in the KKR side as a regular. Had they done so, KKR could have clinched the title. Now it seems, the team would plunge into deep crises. I rather bet for, Chennai and Mumbai...this year.

Selfish_Sachin
on May 15, 2012, 1:19 GMT

And also Morgan...He is one of the best finishers in business...People always think of Shakib and forget Eoin Morgan

Selfish_Sachin
on May 15, 2012, 1:17 GMT

Its always easy to criticize someone after you know the results...Gambhir is a smart captain..He must have had a plan; but Dhoni outsmarted him with smart captaincy..With all this being said, I think Yusuf Pathan should be replaced by Shakib if KKR really want to make it to the playoffs..I am an Indian and CSK fan, but still think Shakib deserves to be in the eleven...(so does Tamim for PWI!)

on May 15, 2012, 1:14 GMT

Stop saying abt Sakib. we all know about his potentiality , just enjoy the cricket folks!

k4zz
on May 15, 2012, 1:03 GMT

People need to calm down about shakib, banglas need to realise that he can't play all the games even thou he should have played alot more games than he has. Also that currently narine is the better bowler at the moment due to his mystery bowling which if he can keep a mystery he'll be one hell of a player. Together they would make an ultimate spin duo. Indians need to realise that shakib is a real talent and is better than all there indian spinners and would walk into any country XI. People do need to stop all the squabbling about him he should play the games in Eden garden, while on bouncy pitches they could go with a pacer instead.

on May 15, 2012, 1:02 GMT

i am a bangladeshi cricket fan, and i'm really disappointed how some of the fans coming here and commenting "pick shakib". for them shakib is getting negative comments from other cricket fans, even without doing anything bad. whom to choose or not to choose depends on game plan and let kkr choose whom they like. shakib is an wonderful player and if you are his real fan, dont put extra pressure on him with this "pick him pick him" shouts and please do not harm his image to other cricket fans.

RogerC
on May 15, 2012, 0:58 GMT

Of all the IPL teams, CSK is the one that understands T20 best. Their performances are examples of total team contribution which is why none of the CSK players figure in the purple or orange cap categories.

on May 15, 2012, 0:52 GMT

It is totally wastage of time & energy for Shakib fans like us, to post comments, whether KKR (Kahin Kisin Roz :P) should include him in the team or not, in this bogus over hyped indian domestic league. Let The team management decide whether to include & utilize him to achieve success or otherwise fail miserably. Let his performance speak for him, not our comments...as they might have forgotten about the last match where after 1 month he played.. bowled 12 dot balls, and totally outfoxed their own GOD (SRT) to get that wicket. Any thing to say who were criticizing Shakib..Namaste India :P & Joy Bangla :):):)
P.S --- All ways remember, "Spit towards the sky & it always falls upon u " :P

trinimystry
on May 15, 2012, 0:42 GMT

i would say it again when shakib bowls a spell of 4 overs for less than 15 runs and takes wickets then challenge narine. dont bash narine cuz jump high jump low when clt20 comes around guess who pollard, bravo,narine and cooper will be playing for trinidad & tobago there home team not ipl teams you`ll see fire works for clt20 later this year i promise you all that

Bruisers
on May 15, 2012, 0:26 GMT

All this Shakib Shakib rant will end if ICC creates a practical system of rankings. I mean Shakib is No.12 on the ICC ODI Batsman Rankings!! He should be around No.50 honestly. And when did he become a better all-rounder than big names like Kallis, Watson, Afridi etc?? Its all due to the number of games Bangla plays against teams like Zimbabwe. Same rating points are awarded for players for performances against any Test team, which means scoring a hundred against Zimbabwe is as good as scoring one against Australia!!

caught_knott_bowled_old
on May 15, 2012, 0:24 GMT

Good win by CSK who do their usual raise-the-blood-pressure-of-the fans until the last over and then somehow squeeze through. Hussey/Vijay/Raina should be spanked by Coach Fleming for getting out the way they did.
Having said that, its encouraging to see the positive approach of the openers. Hussey's class is evident, and he's obviously got a positive influence on Vijay.
Hope Albie recovers from his viral fever quickly; and hope Dougy Bollinger returns.
Go CSK!!

on May 15, 2012, 0:23 GMT

@ rahulcricket007 - Who asked to drop Narine and include Shakib ? ... Narine is the Best Bowler KKR had ever got ..... The whole discussion was to include another Spinner ( preferably Shakib) in the Eden Pitch .... Dont be so biased man

rahulcricket007
on May 15, 2012, 0:10 GMT

@AHMED AL MASUD . SHAKIB IS NOT GOOD AS YOU ALL BANGLA FANS THINK . HE GETS OPPURTUNITY TO BAT IN 3 MATCHES IN WHICH HE ONLY MADE 24 RUNS & HE IS NOT BETTER BOWLER THAN NARINE . TAKING WKT OF SACHIN DOESN'T PROVE ANYTHING . THESE DAYS SACHIN CAN BE OUT TO EVEN A CLUB BOWLER BECAUSE OF AGEING BODY & SLOWING REFLEXES . KKR WON 6 MATCHES CONSECUTIVELY WITHOUT SHAKIB . WHERE WERE YOU THEN ? BUYING OVERHYPED BANGLA PLAYERS LIKE TAMIM & SHAKIB IS THE WORST THING THAT HAS HAPPENED TO IPL .

passionate_cricket_follower
on May 15, 2012, 0:06 GMT

@Diganta Sarkar: come on man. leave aside that Dadu of yours. IPL is much bigger than him!

peterss
on May 14, 2012, 23:55 GMT

No matter how poorly they play CSK inevitably come out on top! wow! They lose to all teams but come out at the end and beat all the "table toppers" to show why they are 2 time defending champions. Gonna be 3 this season!

rahulcricket007
on May 14, 2012, 23:52 GMT

TO ALL THOSE BANGLA FANS WHO R SAYING SHAKIB IS BETTER THAN NARINE . NOW LOOK AT THIS ONLY 14 RUNS FROM 4 OVERS WITH TWO CRUCIAL WKTS . I DON'T THINK SHAKIB WOULD HAVE EVER DONE THAT . I THINK BANGLA FANS NEED TO SEE HIGHLIGHTS OF WI-AUS SERIES WHERE THE WHOLE AUS TEAM WAS BAMBOOZLED BY NARINE 'S SPIN . HAS SHAKIB EVER DONE GOOD PERFORMANCE WITH BALL AGAINST AUS OR MAYBE INDIA ? NOPES

on May 14, 2012, 23:47 GMT

KKR should have a Practice Session of how to select Team based on the Pitch ... When they will Learn all these ??? I hope GOD would come down to Earth and ask KKR to remove the Useless Pathan and not to play Pacers like De Lange in Eden Pitch ...

aroundthewicket
on May 14, 2012, 23:42 GMT

Keep going Narine. Can't wait to see you in a maroon shirt soon.

arun02k81a0205
on May 14, 2012, 22:52 GMT

Very much predictable IPL. All the matches played by DC, they end in a losing side despite scoring 190+ in 3 matches. Surprisingly all the matches end in a last-ball thriller which may rise few eyebrows.

ottoflick
on May 14, 2012, 22:36 GMT

To all sakib fans, sakib is #1 in test and odi not t20 so get over yourselves. I doing as if he is God but that will totally haaram. Btw he should've played a lot more games for kkr this year he would have made the difference in the team with narine.

Dravid_Pujara_Gravitas
on May 14, 2012, 21:53 GMT

I think KKR did the right thing by bringing back McCullum in ace of that part time spinner who is he oh yes Shakib. The momentum was lost due to the untimely wrong decision against Kallis and due to the woefully out of form YP and zero timing Tiwary. KKR would want to replace YP and Tiwary for the next match.

on May 14, 2012, 21:34 GMT

Sunil Narine is proving to be a steal for kkr... look forward to hopefully see him in all white for the west indies soon.

landsite
on May 14, 2012, 21:16 GMT

KKR is suffering from a selection crisis and if its not put right they may not even be in the play-offs,MI could easily beat them again which would leave them on 17 points.Their last match against Pune Warriors could easily turn out to be a real "banana skin"for them.The fact is there are no one in the middle who seems capable of putting a good score together like the other teams are doing.There is no way that Lee should have sat out this match and Shakib should have been in the team at the expense of Mc.Cullum,Useless Yusuf could be replaced by anybody.I hope they make the correction for the last 2 matches.

on May 14, 2012, 21:07 GMT

Shakib should have been in place of De Lange . Next two games KKR will lose and will make it four in a row and will be out of "PLAY OFF" !!!

on May 14, 2012, 20:47 GMT

I am waiting for another mouth watering drama. KKR might have to depend on beating PWI in their last match to move to playoffs. And that will repaint the DADA vs KKR match with another color ... last chance of DADA to make himself significant.

on May 14, 2012, 20:45 GMT

De Lange is good for pitches those help fast bowlers. I personally felt that giving him the 19th over cost the match for KKR. Kallis was doing fairly well and de Lange was not required. I personally feel he's not good enough for playing in slow Kolkata surfaces too. Now, KKR might do another mistake and drop him for fast Mumbai pitch too.

sk12
on May 14, 2012, 20:40 GMT

With the ball not comign on once it loses its shine, KKR missed a trick by not picking an extra spinner. Abdulla could hav played instead of BHatia/balaji or even Shakib cld ve been tried in place of Kallis. Both Lee and De Lange are similar bowlers with their extra pace helpign the ball come on to the bat so choosing Lee wouldnt have made much difference. WeLL I am not complainign though, CSK has won :D

Ibra95
on May 14, 2012, 20:40 GMT

@golbhai: sorry, but shakib didn't get the oportunity to bat so if he batted, the game would turn the other way round, and kkr would win, shakib would be the mom and ghambir WOULD be jelous!!! also, shakib took the only solitary wicket for kkr, SRT & wot did narine, the great spinner did???0 for 28 in 4 ovs!!so i do not know y you folks blame innocent shakib coz 2day he didn't play!!!now who to blame, de lange, kallis or balaji???answer: de 3 of them!!!!so maybe the next time pick shakib before de lange &l lee!!!!then kkr will win!!!!!!!!imagine the duo of spinners: shakib & narine!!!!!!!!!!

Dude.Cricket
on May 14, 2012, 20:37 GMT

KKR will loose all of its remaining matches and will not even qualify for play-offs. Naraine will be soon be sorted, he is able to extract bit more bounce due to his height which batsmen will figure out. I love seeing Sharukh's face when KKR looses and the fear in Gambhir's weird reaction.
My Prediction Table: Team-Points
MI-22, DD-20, RCB-19, CSK-19, KKR-17, RR-16, KXIP-16, PWI-10, DC-5
Finals: RCB Vs CSK
3rd: DD
4th: MI

Diark
on May 14, 2012, 20:06 GMT

I know people will hate me for this BUT i think leaving out the left-arm spinners(Abdulla and Shakib) was a good move by KKR.CSK have FIVE dangerous left-handed bats(Hussey,Raina,Jadeja,Albie and Mukund).Yes the pitch may have assisted spinners but what use will it be if they still get hit for six?.Again,FIVE BATSMEN!.And except Mukund all the other guys were sure to play.Please see the logic in this selection rather than complaining about it.

on May 14, 2012, 20:04 GMT

Dhoni Rocks......He may be not in his best form this season....But he always gets the job done in right time....I read it somewhere that Chennai is famous for his last minute scramble.....Well it's true....One can guarantee their position in top 4 every season no matter how bad they play throughout the season....They always make it to the final.....It's only result of Dhoni's brilliant captaincy & great team selection.....He always chooses the best team....Many says Dhoni is a lucky guy....But truth is luck have nothing to do with it....Its' his pure quality......Let's hope CSK make this year hat-trick this year.......Best Of Luck CSK & BEst Of Luck Dhoni....."Dhoni- The name is enough to win any format of game."

sweetspot
on May 14, 2012, 20:02 GMT

To keep on harping about KKR's mistakes is to neglect a champion team who showed how to keep a positive outlook even in desperate situations. CSK stayed cool and enjoyed themselves. It appears that Rajat Bhatia was in two minds when he bowled that last ball. He has so many varieties to irritate batsmen, but that really worked against him in that crucial moment. Bravo was fantastic. CSK found a way to put pressure on themselves after that fine opening stand. Other than that, they had the game in the bag for most part after KKR's own opening stand was broken.

munnaaticc
on May 14, 2012, 19:59 GMT

keeping Brett Lee out was the worst decision by KKR, imagine the over De lange bowled which wud have been bowled by Lee, KKR would hav won the match for sure, he is much experienced than de lange...Poor team selection cost KKR..

30-30-150
on May 14, 2012, 19:58 GMT

And the same old "Pick Shakib" "KKR lost because they didnt pick Shakib" "No. 1 all-rounder in the world" "Shakib record much better than him and him" comments flood in here.. :D

hasib9
on May 14, 2012, 19:55 GMT

KKR needs to stop experimenting and always keep Brett Lee in the team.. And 4 fast bowlers on a spin friendly place.. Seriously? Kellis also scores runs too slow and hasn't been that much useful with the ball either lately.

30-30-150
on May 14, 2012, 19:54 GMT

Sunil Narine 4-0-14-2.. Now beat that Shakib!

on May 14, 2012, 19:52 GMT

To be honest the 4 foreign players for KKR today should've been Ryan, Morgan, Shakib and Narine. I like Narine probably the next best spinner after Ajmal, Kallis old and useless, Bret Lee should only be used for fast pitches as he's very effective but on slow ones he easily gets battered and Merchant who almost got hit on the head by Dhoni is just too inexperienced. I'm a big fan of Shakib and my advice to him and any other Bangladeshi player is to leave IPL because its a complete waste of time and instead get valuable rest time so you can concentrate on proper Cricket such as County Cricket and help the Bangladesh team because they are still a weak team and still got a lot of learning to do but I will laugh once this IPL is over and India Cricket Team is still playing poorly, that would be jokes :)

sweetspot
on May 14, 2012, 19:45 GMT

@ DeekshaSpeaks - Albie is unwell, and hence was left out to rest and recuperate. Faf is not really a replacement for him. I think Kulasekara would have been the ideal spot filler. But CSK read the conditions very well and bowled only 6 overs of pace/seam. The rest were all spin. Albie will be back in Dharamshala, don't you worry.

on May 14, 2012, 19:43 GMT

Where were the sakib fans when KKR was winning on the trot. Now that KKR has lost 2 matches they are all falling out of the cupboards.

kunderanengineer
on May 14, 2012, 19:42 GMT

At the risk of sounding like another fanatical Bangladesh supporter (which I am not) I can't help but agree whole heartedly with my BD friends this time. This pitch was tailor-made for the likes of Shakib. Moreover he could have helped with the bat as well. Very poor decision to exclude him.

borhans
on May 14, 2012, 19:41 GMT

KKR never given sakib the chance to proof his all round ability .He is treated mainly as a spinner when he had over 160 stiike rate on lhe last asia cup .Maybe Gambhir don't like sakib cz due to sakib's single performance Bd win agaisnt india in asia cup .Sakib is downgraded in KKR for his good performance against india in asia cup .Even after getting rid of Ganguly KKR Still didn't move forward without controversy .their blind support for few players (even when they are not performing) & ignoring the one who perform is clear indication of their politics behind the bench

smiteswap
on May 14, 2012, 19:38 GMT

NO MORKEL?????? seriously he did nothing wrong to be out of the side...why did they retain him???? they would have retain hussey or any other..Dhoni retains morkel and then nearly insults him always..never gives him chance to bat ...gives him 4 to 5 balls and if he fails ,,he is out...Pls mr. dhoni dont retain morkel nxt time,,,do retain ur puppets bravo and hussey..you will then have a better team which will take it to the last ball even when you need 60 of 60 balls..

on May 14, 2012, 19:38 GMT

Even though I was in Chennai.. I Would love to See a New Champion this year.. KKR was loosing the Match, When he has De Lange Bowling the 19th. Ideally you need to have another Specialist spinner While you play at Eden Gardens. Pacers Cant do much for you.. Valiant effort frm Rajat to contain the last over. Last ball was Unlucky for him..

on May 14, 2012, 19:36 GMT

i said to my dad before last ball that it will be a 6 coz ipl 5 is very much predictable , teams win n loose from no where , lol

on May 14, 2012, 19:36 GMT

the bangla fans can cry yourself hoarse about sakib. he isnt as good as you think. he is only good enough for the bangla t20 league. meanwhile das should get a promotion and bat ahead of tiwari. why wasnt bret lee played - balaji sucks.

Hayat22
on May 14, 2012, 19:35 GMT

@Prash Smith, Sir Shakib is the 2nd player knighted by fans after Sir Ravindra Jadeja. So Aussie Shamim is right here. On the team selection for Mumbai, a revision here: I feel that KKR should totally avoid pacers as much as possible, so Shakib should be considered in place of Lee. Thus KKR should go with a trio of Abdulla, Shakib and Narine,with Balaji and Bhatia as the five specialists. in desi conditions taking the pace out of the ball is a safer option.Pls note Bhatia's success today in comparision to Lange, until the juicy full toss.For batting it should be Gambhir,McCullum,Morgan,Debratta,Shukla/Yusuf (I hate typing his name, and hope like a bad penny he comes good, and isnce its Mumbia where he played that century innings as part of RR squad, so let us hope). Final squad for Mumbai:Gambhir,McCullum,Morgan,Debratta,Yusuf,Shakib,Abdulla,Narine,Bhatia,Balaji.I beleive order this has a suitable mix of conventional and explosive batsmen with an all spin attack with 2 accurate pacers.

on May 14, 2012, 19:34 GMT

It is more than not playing Shakib.

1. We all can see that Yusuf is totally out of form. So why keep playing him. WHy not rest him once or play Das ahead of him.

2. On a pitch that is slowing down, why give batsmen some speed using M de Lange in the 19th over? That was a blunder.

3. Did KKR have a plan for bowling the last ball when a six is needed? I do not think there was.

I think team KKR must wake up asap.

Thanks

on May 14, 2012, 19:34 GMT

All bangladeshi friends are just woke up I guess, blaming KKR team and captain for not selecting their local player Shakib..its unfair to blame any one in 20-20 cricket since its difficult to win if you loose your momentum..20-20 is all about momentum it will change even in single ball..so I must say KKR bit unlucky and CSK deserved this win!!!

Sohel_ahmed
on May 14, 2012, 19:33 GMT

Now somebody please explain why on earth Shakib Al Hasan was not included in KKR's playing eleven tonight. Is it because he bowled better than other bowlers the other night and took the solitary wicket that fell? Is it because he is a better player than Du Plesiss? Is it because he might have done better than other overseas players? Is it because he and Narine makes a formidable spin duo? None of the bowlers except for Narine has a better T 20 record than Shakib, go, check the statistics. This simply doesnt make any sense and questions the transparency of the team selection. I would take it normally if KKR was led by Captain Pathetic, Mr. Ganguly. But cant accept it cause i thought Gambhir is both a sensible person and a captain.

prazad82
on May 14, 2012, 19:26 GMT

Where is the commentary for this game????

on May 14, 2012, 19:24 GMT

Well deserved KKR, well deserved!

God knows what goes into the team selection there and what sort of politics take place in the meeting room. It would not be a long shot to assume that the selection of shakib does not depend on his performance but rather depends on his nationality and Gautam's personal vendetta since Asia Cup 2012.

But then again, shakib proved his worth for the team and with every little chance and even cricinfo staff wonder why he doesn't get picked.

THE JOKE IS ON YOU GAUTAM! Having fun? :)

on May 14, 2012, 19:24 GMT

hey people don't forget laxmi shukla misfielded a bowl that got to the boundary which would have been only 2

SurlyCynic
on May 14, 2012, 19:22 GMT

At the start of the tournament I had nothing against Shakib or Tamim but after reading so many thousands of repetitive comments I am sick of hearing about them and hope they aren't bought in future auctions.

on May 14, 2012, 19:20 GMT

@Ahmed Al Masud - KKR won 6 consecutive matches and Shakib was not a part of any of those matches. So your comment stands nullified.
Though for this match, even I am of the opinion that Shakib should have played or Abdulla as the Eden wicket is known to assist spinners.

Rally_Windies
on May 14, 2012, 19:16 GMT

Poor captaincy and poor player section from KKR ...

(1) Shakib of Lee would ahve been better choices that Merchant De Lange ...

(2) De Lange should have been brought back after Narine took two wickets.....that would let you get out some cheap overs out of potentially expenise bowlers, but De Lenage at pace could have picked up wickets....
Bringing De lange back on after Narine's double strike would have allowed KKR to get rid of some overs and still look for wickets...

a new batsman will always prefer settling in with medium pace and slow bolweres than a fast pacers .......

If i was captain, De lange would be ordered to bowl line and lenght outside off with a wide 2nd slip, and let the batters leave or try to score by cutting or pulling from outside off ......

on May 14, 2012, 19:11 GMT

Congratulations to all the Trinidadians who are playing in the IPL. Pollard, Bravo and Narine. Unfortunatley, Narine was the only one on the loosing end today and this is only because of bad team selection and stupid captaincy. Why is Yusuf Pathan still playing. As a matter of fact, Yusuf should not be going so early..give him the last 2 overs to bat. Don't send him so early in the innings. The last game, he and Kallis actually make KKR loose the game. By gosh, they were playing test cricket instead of a 20/20 game. And if I am an opposing captain, I would want to see people like Sachin, Rahul, Ganguly, Sanga, etc stay and bat till the end. That way, the scorecard will just be ticking and that's want you want. Everyone seems to want to take Sachin wicket, but that will only open the floodgates. Good luck KKR.

i wasnt surprised at all......THE TEAM WHO HAS NO RESPECT FOR NUMBER ONE ALL ROUNDER MR SAKIB....deserve to loose every other matches.....

on May 14, 2012, 19:04 GMT

as a hard fan of KKR, i feel pity on the picking of the squad for the match, i dnt understand why management is keeping a talented player like Shakib al hasan in the side bench..? this guy is really a clever spinner and outstanding slogger of the ball, addingly a handy fielder also.. SRK pls open ur eyes and do something.. and try another guys instead of tiwary and pathan,, unfortnately these guys are not upto the mark yet.. pls pls pls.. dimaki batti jalado KKR..

on May 14, 2012, 19:03 GMT

Oh dear! Where is our Bangali whipping boy Shakib? I would like to hear it from our Indian cricket experts why KKR lost this one.

harshthakor
on May 14, 2012, 19:03 GMT

One of the most spectacular games ever in IPL with the climax of a Hollywood thriller.Few games better illustrate how this form of the game tilts completely in a different direction with the fall of a wicket or a tidy over.Chennai seemed to be cruising home before a flurry of wickets tilted the balance in favour of Kolkata.Then Dhoni launched a spectacular barrage of hitting and swung the pendulum in Chennai's favour.After his wicket it was anybody's game before Bravo completed the last rites in spectacular fashion.

It has now almost become routine in this IPL for teams to chase down run rates of around 13-14 runs pervover at the end.Today we saw 2 of the greatest contest ever staged in IPL,with both matches going down to the wire.This day was a victory for t-20 cricket.

beingsharih
on May 14, 2012, 19:02 GMT

Cricinfo team..the ball by ball commentary for 63rd match is not available at the moment. Please get this done. The link"Commentary" nest to "Scorecard" is not appearinh.....Hello...anyone listening me!!!

Mayan820
on May 14, 2012, 18:58 GMT

We have lost again! Quickly, find a scapegoat before I have to face the media. I know, lets blame Shaqib . . . Damm, someone forgot to select him for today's game. Now what??

on May 14, 2012, 18:58 GMT

I'm damm happy to see CSK (India) win against our arch rival.

on May 14, 2012, 18:58 GMT

you lose 99 times out of 100 if you play one spinner @ eden garden

saif_bd007
on May 14, 2012, 18:56 GMT

How painful for Shakib and Abdullah it is to see that the below standard Aswin, Jakati and Jadeja bowling well on the Eden pitch sitting on the bench and team lossing for the wrong selection of overrated de-Langle!!!! OK Gambhir, if not Sakib, why Abdulla was not selected today on this slow pitch?

on May 14, 2012, 18:51 GMT

It was a great game for Chennai! They held their nerves. I do not understand why Shakib was dropped? Last game, he was the only player who got the wicket and the best economy rate. He has been sitting on the benches the entire tournament with the exception of the first few games. Yousuf Pathan has not played well at all in this tournament. So many chances and nothing from him this tournament. I know he is known for his hitting, but last game he could not do anything for KKR. They were in a good position to attack and make the game competitive. KKR needs to get their selection right. Another loss for KKR and their chances of the semi finals will slip out.

i gotta admit shakib has to be in kkr team narine cant do it on his own think of both shakib and narine would of play what could of happened to csk

on May 14, 2012, 18:50 GMT

hussey makes the platform,dhoni should push that one i think that 3 balls hitted by dhoni turned the match to csk.really dhoni's six should be a hilight of the match and the last six hitted by bravo.every one will think this year also csk will be going to win the title. i am i right.

on May 14, 2012, 18:46 GMT

what is the role of de Lange. Why Bret Lee was left out. I think KKR should stick to proper squad with Mc Cullum, Kallis, Narine and Brett Lee as their foreign players...

Cricket_fan123654
on May 14, 2012, 18:45 GMT

Is it true that Lange is better than Shakib for today game at at Kolkata??
In Previous game we see Lee being punished (44-0). Why kkr select Langa???

on May 14, 2012, 18:44 GMT

McCullum dropping easy catches hahaha....yeah some player he is I have enjoyed this match especially when KKR lost, the jealous Shakib haters will not call him the 'black cat' anymore because he wasn't playing today and will end the conspiracy that if Shakib doesn't play KKR will win well KKR didn't win today and Shakib wasn't playing so you guys can't blame him haha....Shakib best all-rounder in the world and who is this Mechant de Lange? haha...3 overs for 37 runs haha at an economy rate of 12.33 haha..yeah that bowler must really be better than Shakib NOT haha...and Kallis the so called 'best' all-rounder failed with both the bat and ball hahaha 4 runs and bowled 3 overs for 25 runs at an economy of 8.33 and Shakib's record is much better so where are you now you jealous Shakib haters? hahaha...Well Done CSK :)

on May 14, 2012, 18:42 GMT

If CSk will enter into the playoff, then no one can stop them.Very dangerous team in all time of IPL history

golubhai
on May 14, 2012, 18:40 GMT

@cricinfo Jst ban all these shakib comments. its really frustating to read any comments... I donno wats the problem wid bangladeshi fans.. If KKR wins they say it was bcoz of shakib and if they loose thn its bcoz shakib was not der.. Shakib was der agnst MI But wat he did??? was he able to make KKR win dat match watever his figures were?? The answer is NO. so no one cares for individual performance if the team is loosing the match...

on May 14, 2012, 18:39 GMT

Last ball finish..enjoyed the match...although KKR supporter, satisfied with the result. Its better b4 its too late Selectors had a lesson. I believe everyone understands what I mean.

IbrahimRana
on May 14, 2012, 18:39 GMT

Shakib or Abdullah would be a best selection instead of D Lange. Iden Garden pitch is for spin bowlers. Bowler like Shakib would do well in this pitch. See the other 2 spin bowler Narine & Pathan. Kolkata's team management give the price for their selection mistake.

SurlyCynic
on May 14, 2012, 18:38 GMT

Good selection by KKR to bring McCullum back in place of the part time spinner, he batted well. CSK bowled well to restrict KKR after the good start provided by McC and Gambhir, and dramatic end to the match. Unusual to see CSK without Morkel, he helps them win many games.

on May 14, 2012, 18:37 GMT

CSK The best, but they gave almost a heartattack today.

Hayat22
on May 14, 2012, 18:37 GMT

KKR paid heavily with an all pace attack in today's match. De Lange was a real misfit. If taking Shakib was constrained due to the foreigner rule, atleast Abdulla should have been taken. he was also very effective last season. Yusuf's inclusion is detrimental. Replace him with Shukla and add Abdulla in his place. Now I'm sure this will impact upon their match in Mumbai as well, where it is actually a batting wicket. For Mumbai atleast they should bolster their batting. Order should be Gambhir,Mc Cullum,Morgan,Debratta,Shukla,Abdulla,Bhatia,Lee,Narine,Balaji. Note this is 10 players and Yusuf, in case there is no replacement for him, could be played. De Lange could have been more effective in Mumbai just as a spinner -Abdulla or Shakib could have been here, however after today that is just not possible! Its time to bolster the batting that goes in terminal decline once the 90 runs opening partnership gets broken. The middle order acceleration is just not there with kallis,Tiwary &Yusuf.

Imran_13
on May 14, 2012, 18:36 GMT

Last match's best bowler-Shakib is out of the field today!!! What an idiotic decision by KKR!!! ... And, KKR got the result today as expected... today they must felt the absence of Shakib's bowling.... they should regret....

on May 14, 2012, 18:35 GMT

@AusieBangaleeShameem. He's hardly done much to receive a knighthood by you.LOL.

on May 14, 2012, 18:35 GMT

Once the Chennai super kings reaches a place in the playoff table,it will be too difficult to defeat them....

pjbarua
on May 14, 2012, 18:32 GMT

Well done KKR! Dropped the most successful bowler of the last match & brought De lange instead of him. look to CSK. They played with an extra spinner in this pitch! It is a deserved loss for KKR!

on May 14, 2012, 18:29 GMT

kkr bowling revolves around sunil naraine only, what a shame he is not with westindies in , he is the best bowler in this ipl,hats off to kkr to buy him, shakib n lee
shud have played

skyeshwin
on May 14, 2012, 18:27 GMT

What an amazing finish!!!! Thank you IPL 5....

waheed1233
on May 14, 2012, 18:26 GMT

Lol at KKR...cant blame them tho...if u have a captain who doesn't have cricketing brain at all and an owner who doesn't have any brain at all, how will u win matches? n there's no one in the team mgt to make them understand the difference between World's no.1 all-rounder and a bunch of below average bowlers and batsmen....

2 more loss to bombay and delhi, and 1 more loss﻿ to caluctta and bangalore, and a win to madras, will ensure madas finish at the top of the table. It is very much possible guys. Delhi without KP has a good chance to lose both their games to Punjab and win agains Bangalore. Madras has to win against Punjab. Bombay is capable of losing their last 2 games, as they are more dependent on luck and miracle.

rsurya
on May 14, 2012, 18:20 GMT

"Leaving it too late is not what we intentionally do"
"Winning matches is not what we intentionally do"
Dhoni

tomru
on May 14, 2012, 18:19 GMT

pathan is a real fun for kkr this year.. no performance bt still playing and playing and hope he will be playing afterthe end of tournament in dream, mr. gambhir u r totally wrong in ur team selection, you cant win for kkr each game, even sachin didnt do it for india,,there is no real performer in this team except 2.i cant believe how could de lange get a chance ahead of shakib in eden girden? its funny mr. gambhir....even though its not really tough for u to qualify for next round but what will happen u scored a 0 in that?????

on May 14, 2012, 18:17 GMT

kkr loss this match only there team selection because why Lange and why not shakib .shakib ec:in ipl 6.23 and lange ec: 11.Is not a good decision and KKR loss this match Its a great ............loss .I hope next match Shakib must be play

on May 14, 2012, 18:12 GMT

Dear IPL management, please remove those ball shooting machines, and use Bhatia, he is more accurate I feel..

on May 14, 2012, 18:09 GMT

Again the team coming from bottom to achieve the goallllllll....
IF CSK play the PLAY OFF CSK will be the winner.........

cric_lover12
on May 14, 2012, 18:07 GMT

KKR should drop De Lange, Lee & Kallis for the next match. Include Morgan & Shakib and continue with Narine, McCullum, Gambhir, Pathan, Tiwary, Debratta, Shukla, Bhatia & Balaji. That will be the best combination for KKR and it will make KKR IPL Champion.

dare_to_beat
on May 14, 2012, 18:06 GMT

lions are lions but knights are human beings,,,thats the difference

Bruisers
on May 14, 2012, 18:05 GMT

With 5 needed of one ball, there are two things that a bowler shouldn't do to gift the game away to the opposition. 1, bowl a no-ball 2, bowl a full toss. Bhatia went for the second one and cost KKR 2 valuable points that could deny them a Top 2 spot. There were plenty of full tosses in the 19th over from de Lange too. What was he doing?! Anyway lets give it to Bhatia for bowling excellent 3.5 overs instead of ruing that one delivery.

on May 14, 2012, 18:00 GMT

curse on KKR.... Dropping Shakib for De Lange was the worst decission ever!!!

on May 14, 2012, 17:59 GMT

Hurray!!!!!!! CSK always rocks... we are on the way to hold the IPL Championship for the 3rd Time....

cric_lover12
on May 14, 2012, 17:59 GMT

Shakib's absence is very much surprising, he was the best bowler of last KKR match. De Lange is hopless bowler, again poor team slection by KKR. Is is just jealousy ???

on May 14, 2012, 17:48 GMT

Please, guys, compare Shakib's Twenty20 performance with McCullums.
Shakibs strike rate is 114.85 with an average of 15.46 in 62 matches and Economic rate for Bowling is 6.66. Brendon McCullums, strike rate is 135.36, with an average of 31.89 in 139 Matches, and he is a wicketkeeper. Ahmed Hussain, these are from Twenty20 NOT T20I, so your argument about Bangladesh not playing does not hold. And also, that is why there is something called "average" which gives good idea overall. McCullum, Kallis, Lee and Narine, there is no space for Shakib or Ryan unfortunately with this combination. Yesterday we played Shakib and we lost, that is a fact not because Shakib was bad but because the team combination was not right.

DeekshaSpeaks
on May 14, 2012, 17:36 GMT

Shocking to see Albie Morkel left out of the team! He had a near-perfect game against Delhi : bowled well, fielded exceptionally and finally it was his batting in the end that won it for CSK. Morkel's one of their mainstays, and it's symbolically and morally wrong to drop him! No sign of Badrinath yet either.... why is CSK making changes to the line-up that has served them so well, time after time?! I'm a huge CSK supporter but I can't get past this.
Well, when they lose this then maybe they'll learn that Faf's no Morkel..!

AusieBangaleeShameem
on May 14, 2012, 17:35 GMT

Kalam Miya is definitely a better WK than Sir Shakib. But Sir Shakib should be picked ahead of Kalam Miya for his batting, fielding and bowling -- particularly on this sluggish Eden pitch.

on May 14, 2012, 17:29 GMT

kkr is only dependent on gambhir & narine. no team can win by two players.enough is enough.its time to say good bye to yusuf & manoj as well as kallis.They spoils the batting on a regular basis. give chance to newer players rather than money players.sakib is to be used regularly. in such case there is no room for lee or de lange. bhatia ve now no importance. abdulla is far better than him.

screamingeagle
on May 14, 2012, 17:20 GMT

@Ahmed Hussain, why the hahaha's all the time? Very irritating, like these petty quarrels about why McCullum why Shakib stuff.

parvez1987
on May 14, 2012, 17:11 GMT

the pacers are going for so many runs ... i really don't understand how KKR in their den which is so spinner friendly can have only 1 specialist spinner ... shakib or absullah would hv definitely been better choices than the faster bowlers ... abullah inplace of balaji or shakib in place of de lange ... this was a relatively easy choice to make .. KKR is on hte downslide again ... to stay on top its vital to make the right decisions more times than not .. Best of luck KKR ... want to see u in the next stage ... But please selectors .. be a bit sensible .. i think time for experimentation is over

on May 14, 2012, 17:03 GMT

sakib is better than kallis, mcculam

AusieBangaleeShameem
on May 14, 2012, 16:59 GMT

Without Sir Shakib Al Hasan n KKR team --- CSK batsmen will chase this with ease.

Shuvo073
on May 14, 2012, 16:57 GMT

I don't know who makes the decision of selection of the team for KKR ,who ever makes it needs to make some sense. If KKR loses the game against CSK is mainly due to the poor selection of the team, being supporters and cricket fan I can see how the players are performing than also such poor selection.

on May 14, 2012, 16:52 GMT

@KKR_Fan88....Actually no McCullum isn't better than Shakib because Shakib is ranked higher than him in the real formats ODIs and Tests hahaha..Yes McCullum is ranked higher in T20s but that's because Bangladesh don't play much T20 Cricket and if they did then I'm very sure Shakib will be ranked higher than McCullum in that format so overall Shakib is better than McCullum besides Shakib's average is higher than McCullum and if you don't believe me then check it out for yourself hahaha...Again McCullum was useless today with a slow small 37 for a 'specialist' batsman of his calibre :)

Shuvo073
on May 14, 2012, 16:43 GMT

I am happy with the performance of CSK though I am supporter of KKR..It would be good if KKR lose the game as they will learn to make right selection of the team. I hope you people intelligent enough to understand my words.

XP79303
on May 14, 2012, 16:42 GMT

All my beloved commenters those are against Sakib, can you justify one bad record of Sakib when he got any chance. Hope all of you stop this controversy topic and support KKR.

on May 14, 2012, 16:40 GMT

KKR gonna lose this match, bowlers seem tired from last match and they brought De Lange back who has an economy rate of 10. Chennai are desperate to stay in the competition. Best of luck KKR for the next match.

on May 14, 2012, 16:25 GMT

i wont be surprise if kkkr loose this game....hahahahaha
trust me and they ill surely loose it.....ridiculous no respect for the number one player at all...MR SAKIB...just wait and see how they loose this ball game...

XP79303
on May 14, 2012, 16:24 GMT

KKR team is so fortunate to come on this stage, it's a team based on two player, Gamvir & Naraien. If Gamvir fails that match will lose kkr. Das can strick ball very well & he also deprived not promoted in top order, how many chance u want to give Yousuf??? Please give me some chance in next season, promise give u a 50. look at other teams, how they chase runs with strick rate 200++ Now time is coming to wake up otherwise your dream will nevet come true.

Ibra95
on May 14, 2012, 16:17 GMT

Well 158 is a gettable target,but the question is: Can the knight riders' defend this total?? And please don't talk about shakib those who are against the team selection COZ mccullum is much more better batsman than shakib and also is a grat wicketkeeper!!!!

Hayat22
on May 14, 2012, 16:08 GMT

Kallis, Tiwary & Pathan are the real sluggers who retard the natural rate of progression that the openers are providing to KKR. Morgan should replace Kallis and Balaji should be used in place of Lee. The Lee slot should be used by Shakib or Lange and Tiwary and Pathan should either be banished or demoted in favor of Debratta & Shukla, that two guys who look hungry for runs and are not getting the right amount of deliveries. Tiwary usually plays a run a ball, so unless it is a sticky wicket with ruins all around his fantastic services need to be reassessed!

johnathonjosephs
on May 14, 2012, 16:07 GMT

Think the only person doing worse than Sangakkara this IPL, is Yusuf Pathan. My god, to think people were considering him as a future star

No featured comments at the moment.

johnathonjosephs
on May 14, 2012, 16:07 GMT

Think the only person doing worse than Sangakkara this IPL, is Yusuf Pathan. My god, to think people were considering him as a future star

Hayat22
on May 14, 2012, 16:08 GMT

Kallis, Tiwary & Pathan are the real sluggers who retard the natural rate of progression that the openers are providing to KKR. Morgan should replace Kallis and Balaji should be used in place of Lee. The Lee slot should be used by Shakib or Lange and Tiwary and Pathan should either be banished or demoted in favor of Debratta & Shukla, that two guys who look hungry for runs and are not getting the right amount of deliveries. Tiwary usually plays a run a ball, so unless it is a sticky wicket with ruins all around his fantastic services need to be reassessed!

Ibra95
on May 14, 2012, 16:17 GMT

Well 158 is a gettable target,but the question is: Can the knight riders' defend this total?? And please don't talk about shakib those who are against the team selection COZ mccullum is much more better batsman than shakib and also is a grat wicketkeeper!!!!

XP79303
on May 14, 2012, 16:24 GMT

KKR team is so fortunate to come on this stage, it's a team based on two player, Gamvir & Naraien. If Gamvir fails that match will lose kkr. Das can strick ball very well & he also deprived not promoted in top order, how many chance u want to give Yousuf??? Please give me some chance in next season, promise give u a 50. look at other teams, how they chase runs with strick rate 200++ Now time is coming to wake up otherwise your dream will nevet come true.

on May 14, 2012, 16:25 GMT

i wont be surprise if kkkr loose this game....hahahahaha
trust me and they ill surely loose it.....ridiculous no respect for the number one player at all...MR SAKIB...just wait and see how they loose this ball game...

on May 14, 2012, 16:40 GMT

KKR gonna lose this match, bowlers seem tired from last match and they brought De Lange back who has an economy rate of 10. Chennai are desperate to stay in the competition. Best of luck KKR for the next match.

XP79303
on May 14, 2012, 16:42 GMT

All my beloved commenters those are against Sakib, can you justify one bad record of Sakib when he got any chance. Hope all of you stop this controversy topic and support KKR.

Shuvo073
on May 14, 2012, 16:43 GMT

I am happy with the performance of CSK though I am supporter of KKR..It would be good if KKR lose the game as they will learn to make right selection of the team. I hope you people intelligent enough to understand my words.

on May 14, 2012, 16:52 GMT

@KKR_Fan88....Actually no McCullum isn't better than Shakib because Shakib is ranked higher than him in the real formats ODIs and Tests hahaha..Yes McCullum is ranked higher in T20s but that's because Bangladesh don't play much T20 Cricket and if they did then I'm very sure Shakib will be ranked higher than McCullum in that format so overall Shakib is better than McCullum besides Shakib's average is higher than McCullum and if you don't believe me then check it out for yourself hahaha...Again McCullum was useless today with a slow small 37 for a 'specialist' batsman of his calibre :)

Shuvo073
on May 14, 2012, 16:57 GMT

I don't know who makes the decision of selection of the team for KKR ,who ever makes it needs to make some sense. If KKR loses the game against CSK is mainly due to the poor selection of the team, being supporters and cricket fan I can see how the players are performing than also such poor selection.